Comment 64846

By mystoneycreek (registered) - website | Posted June 13, 2011 at 10:43:48

Transportation use surveys done by groups such as UTRAC at the University of Toronto repeatedly show that many road users have options, even on a daily basis. They could choose to take public transit, carpool or travel at a different time or to a different destination. These options might be less appealing, but they are exist for most residents.

While I'm on-board with most of what you're saying in the article, this approach...which can be seen in other aspects of 'trying to change the way people think'...is more than a little naïve.

There are all kinds of instances in this modern world of ours where people COULD see things differently. But in the case of many/most communities that I've been in, lived in, visited, people taking far more inconvenient tacks is simply not something we should reasonably expect to see happen. Choices made by super-charging our moral compass are wonderful to dream about...but most people simply don't have the required energies at their disposal, or won't expend them in this way even if they do.

For years, I've hauled groceries by hand over distances sometimes approaching a mile. But that's me, I'm a physical person who appreciates a good trek. If you want to have people willingly conduct themselves in this way, then it seems to me that you should be more invested in looking at how to promote a society that has this mindset at its core, rather than what many in need of such inculcation would see as being 'penalized' for their behaviour.

Permalink | Context

Events Calendar

There are no upcoming events right now.
Why not post one?

Recent Articles

Article Archives

Blog Archives

Site Tools

Feeds